“Power-return” tape measures typically employ a mechanical spring to supply a retraction force that urges the tape blade to retract into the housing. Such tape measures typically include a manually actuated lock mechanism to lock the tape blade, once deployed, in the deployed position. Release of the lock mechanism causes the tape blade to retract under the bias of the spring. The speed of retraction may be faster than desired in some situations. As such, some tape measures have been proposed that utilize finger-controlled drag brakes in addition to the locking mechanism. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,174,656 and 6,161,299. While such approaches have provided some desired functionality, there remains a need for alternative designs for tape measures that include drag brake functionality.